PM Modi's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' an important initiative, says IMF

India would need to gradually increase its total spending in the healthcare sector from the current 3.7 per cent of the GDP, said IMF

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for an "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) is an important initiative, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday.
 
"The economic package under this self-reliant India initiative, which was announced in the aftermath of the coronavirus shock, has supported the Indian economy and mitigated significant downside risks, so we do see that initiative as having been important," Gerry Rice, Director, Communications Department, IMF, told reporters at his fortnightly news conference here.
 
Looking ahead, as the prime minister has said, for India to play a more important part in the global economy, pursuing policies that